Cotton-cleaner.



c. 0. TERRELL & 1; L. MASK.

COTTON CLEANER.

APPHCAHON FILED NOV. 2a, 1914.

Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

7277656,, JZ (if/1J2 Witnesses lnventorS Attorneys C. D. TERRELL & l. L. MASK. COTTON CLEANER. APPLICATION HLED NOV. 23. 1914.

Patented June 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

" -a spout 3,

ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE DAVIS TERRELL AND JOHN LEWIS MASK, OF COVINGTON, GEORGIA.

COTTON-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed November 23, 1914. Serial No. 873,549.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CLARENCE D. TER- RELL and JOHN L. MAsK, citizens of the United States, residing at Covington, in the county of Newton, State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Cotton-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for cleaning seed cotton while being conveyed from Wagons or the like to the feeder of a gin stand, one of the objects of the invention being to provide means whereby sand, stones, twigs, and other hard and objectionable substances are completely removed from the cotton prior tothe delivery of the cotton to the feeder, the means employed for removing the foreign substances being simple, compa'ct, durable and efiicient.

A further object is to provide means whereby waste of cotton is prevented while the suction is cut off as, for example, during the dropping of the cleaned cotton from the machine.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter-described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown. I In said drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the cleaner. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a section through a portion of the.cleaner and showing the relative positions of the parts when suction is cut off.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a housing having a hopper-like bottom 2 discharging, through into avalve 4 preferably made of a tube of fabric which, during the creation of a suction through the housing 1, will collapse as shown in Fig. 1 but which, when suction is removed, will open out and allow the passage therethrough of any substances which may have accumulated within the spout 3 and the-upper portion of the valve 4.

A flue 5 is extended over and out of communication with the housing 1 and extending downwardly from this fiue to one Side of the housing is an inlet flue 6, communication between the inlet fiue'6 and the main flue 5 being controlled by a valve 7 which, when raised, prevents the passage of cotton or the like into the flue 5 but which, when closed, closes the flue 6.

Mounted for rotation within the housing 1 directly opposite the discharge end of the fine 6, is a-revoluble cylinder 8 formed preferably of perforated metal, there being an arched wall 9 extending over and concentric with the drum and constituting the top of the active portion of housing 1. A box 1.!) is located under the delivery end of the flue 6 and communicates with said flue close to the drum 8 through an opening 11 which may be closed by a flap valve 12 or the like, any suitable'means being provided whereby this valve can be operated by hand or mechanically through levers connecting valve 12 to the operating mechanism of a valve 23 hereinafter referred to.

A cylinder 13 is mounted for rotation below thedrum 8 and has teeth 14 radiating therefrom. An inclined board 15 extends from that wall of housing 1 remote from fine 6 and downwardly to a point close to the top of the cylinder 13, this inclined board being connected at its lower end, to an arcuate wall 16 concentric with the drum 13 and which wall extends to the inlet end of an outlet flue 17 inclined upwardly from the lower portion of housing 1 and discharging into the flue 5. A grate 18 is extended downwardly from a point adjacent the bottom of the drum 8 and along lines substantially parallel with the board 15, there being a concave 19 extending from the lower portion of the grate, this concave being preferably formed of a screen fabric. The concave is spaced from an arcuate wall 20 supported within the-housing 1 and said wall extends'downwardly under the cylinder 13 and is spaced from an inclined board 21 valve and is connected by a link 26 to one end of a lever 27. This lever is fulcrumod as at 28 upon a fixed hanger 29.

An intermediate portion of lever 27 is connected by a link 30 to the rod 31 of a piston 32. This piston is weighted in any suitable manner and is mounted to reciprocate within a cylinder 33 which is suspended from flue 17 and communicates, at its up per end, with one side of flue 17, through a port 34.

A valve is pivotally connected to the upper end portion of flue 17 and when moved to one position will close the flue 5 and open flue 17, while, when moved to the opposite position will close flue 1 7 and open flue 5.

WVhen it is desired to clean seed cotton by means of the mechanism herein described, the drums 8 and 13 are actuated in any suitable manner so as to rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, the drum 13 being driven at a relatively high speed as compared with drum 8. The weighted piston 32 serves normally to hold the valve 23 closed as shown in Fig. 3, but when the suction fan creates a suction in theflue l7 and through the apparatus, the piston 32 will be drawn upwardly by reason of the exhaustion of air from cylinder 33 above the valve 32, and ,this movement of the piston 32 will result in the opening of the valve 23. The suction through the apparatus will draw cot ton from the wagons or the like at the inlet end of flue 5 and through said flue to the valve 7 which will deflect the cotton into flue 6. The suction created through the ap-.

paratus will be along nearly direct lines extending from the outlet end of flue 6 to the upper end of curved wall 16, the suction passing through the perforated drum 8. Consequently as the cotton enters the upper portion of the housin 1, it will be caused to adhere to the rotating drum by the pres-' sure ofair and'will move over the drum and will finally be released as it.comcsto position between the upper end of the inclined board 15 and the grate 18. The cotton will here be drawn against the rapidly rotating drum 13where it will be brokenup into small particles, said cotton passing over the screen 19 and into the inlet end of flue 17. Any'particles which are too heavy to be'elevated' by suction, will fall at this point through the opening 22 and into the spout 3. Should there'be any particles too heavy to be lifted by the rotating cylinder 8,-they can be removedfrom the machine by opening valve 12 and allowing them to fall into the box 10. Sand and other fine particles commingling with the cotton will be separated from the cotton as it passes over the drum 8'and over the screen concave 19, these foreign substances falling into the spout 3.

It is of course to be understood that the suction within the apparatus maintains Y the valve 4 closed. When 1t is desired to drop the cotton from the machine and into the feeder after being cleaned, the suction is broken and piston 32 immediately falls of its fer plate 17' at the entrance to flue 17 and I the heavier particles will thus rebound and drop through the opening 22 while the cotton will be caught up by the suction and carried to the gin feeders, thus theseparationis doubly insured. Means for adjusting the suction at the entrance to flue 17 to suit conditions, is provided for in a board for cutting down the width of opening, or widening width of opening where flue 17 joins main housing 1. It might alsobe added that any suitable mechanical means of operating valve 23 in synchronism. with the automatic valve on suction fan or blower, or insuction line, may be used, and the same results secured, as when valve 23 is actuated by the piston 32.-

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for cleaning seed cotton, including a housing, suction fines communieating with opposed wallsof the housing, a perforated conveying drum within the housing and in the line of suction'from one flue to the other. a toothed cylinder mounted I for rotation within the housing and adapted adaptedto receive material from the concave, and a collapsible valve for closing the outlet during the creation of suction the flues and housing.

2. A seed cotton cleaner including a casing, suction flues communicating with opposed portions of the casing, a perforated drum mounted for rotation in the casing and in the line of suction from one flue to another, a collecting receptacle adjacent the suction inlet of the casing, said recepwithin tacle having aninlet close to the periphery of the. dru'm,-a valve for closing the inlet,

and a toothed cylinder for receiving mate-.

rial passing from the drumto the outlet suction flue.

3. In a machine for cleaning seed cotton, a

ing said inlet of the receptacle, a toothed cylinder for receiving material delivered from the drum, said cylinder being in line of suction and constituting means for throwing material into the outlet flue, there being an opening in the bottom of the outlet flue and adjacent the cylinder, a valve. means operated by suction within the outlet flue for opening the valve, said valve being normally closed.

4. In a machine for cleaning seed cotton, a housing having inlet and outlet suction flues communicating with opposed portions thereof, there being an outlet in the bottom of the housing, a collapsible valve closing the outlet, a perforated drum mounted for rotation in the housing and in line of suction, said drum being located close to the discharge end of the inlet flue, a receptacle having an inlet close to the discharge end of the inlet flue, a valve for closing said inlet, a toothed cylinder mounted in line of suction and adapted to receive material from the drum, said cylinder constituting means for throwing material into the outlet flue, a screen concave cooperating with the cylinder and above the outlet of the housing, a valve normally in closed position, and means operated by suction within the outlet flue for moving said valve into position to open an opening in the bottom of the outlet flue.

5. In a cotton cleaning machine, the combination with a suction flue having an opening in the bottom thereof, of a toothed cylinder for engaging cotton and throwing across said opening and into the flue, a valve normally closing the opening in the flue, a cylinder in communication with the flue, a piston within the cylinder and adapted to be shifted by suction within the flue, and means operated by the piston for opening the valve when said piston is shifted under the action of suction.

(3. In a cotton cleaning machine, the combination with a suction flue having an opening in the bottom thereof, of a toothed cylinder for engaging cotton and throwing it across said opening and into the flue, a valve normally closing the opening in the flue, a cylinder in communication with the flue, a piston within the cylinder and adapted to be shifted by suction within the flue, and means operated by the piston for opening the valve when said piston is shifted under the action of suction, said piston and the parts connected thereto constituting means for holding the valve normally closed.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE DAVIS TERRELL. JOHN LEWIS MASK.

\Vitnesses C. S. THOMPSON, J. E. PnILIPs. 

